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TAYLORSVILLE — Utah's Pacific Islanders, says Susi Feltch-Malohifo'ou, are overrepresented in ways she and others in the community want to change.
Pacific Islanders account for just 1% of Utah's population, she said, yet they represent 6% of the state's homeless people and 6%-10% of those in Utah's jails and prisons. In separate incidents last month involving community members, Feltch-Malohifo'ou said, a young man died of an overdose in a public library, another was killed in a confrontation with police and a third suffering from homelessness died in a mental health facility. A fourth young man was arrested in a murder case.
"Yes, violence impacts our community," said Feltch-Malohifo'ou, community engagement officer with Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources, or PIK2AR.
But in a bid to counter such instances and statistics, Salt Lake City-based PIK2AR is hosting a conference on Friday and Saturday in Taylorsville that aims to bring the community and providers from a range of service agencies together to augment two-way understanding. The theme is "Building Resiliency and Reclaiming Power."
"We want people to engage and learn together," said Feltch-Malohifo'ou, a member of Utah's Tongan community.
The Oakland, California-based Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center is co-hosting the annual ticketed event, now in its 11th year, and Feltch-Malohifo'ou expects participants from as far away as Hawaii and Arkansas. The two co-hosting groups are nonprofit organizations that promote community engagement and constructive conflict resolution.
"Education is harm reduction. When people are armed with the right tools and information, better choices can be made," reads a PIK2AR summary of the event. Event organizers "believe that all community members have the ability to make a difference no matter their background, education level or age."
Activities start Friday at 9 a.m., continuing through Saturday afternoon, and the conference will be held at the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Taylorsville. A broad range of speakers will address participants, including law enforcement and other government representatives, health providers and others.
Violence involving Pacific Islanders has ripple effects, part of the impetus for the event. "It affects everyone regardless of whether they're the victim or the perpetrator," she said.
The event aims to educate service providers, including law enforcement representatives, about the nuances of the Pacific Islander community. When pulled over, for instance, some Pacific Islanders may avoid eye contact with law enforcement as a show of respect to their authority, Feltch-Malohifo'ou said, but police may take such behavior as evasiveness.
"You don't know what you don't know, so let us help," she said.
Friday's activities will be geared toward service providers, she said, with Saturday's activities focused on members of the Pacific Islander community.
